When Will Smith revealed how he became The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air due to trouble with IRS

Hollywood superstar Will Smith went on to become a household name ever since he starred in the NBC sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, do you know why and in which circumstances he chose to do this Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz show? If not, read on to find out the backstory of how Will became a part of the cult sitcom. Back in 2018, The Concussion actor had revealed all the details about the same in his then newly-formed YouTube channel.

When Will Smith spoke about how he became 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'

Along with being loved by the masses as the quintessential big-screen star, Will Smith also became a fan-favourite YouTuber ever since he launched his own YouTube channel in December 2017. Through his YT channel, the 52-year-old has often given fans an insight into the glitz and glamour world of Hollywood and has also given fans a peek into his personal life as well. Similarly, in May 2018, Will made headlines when he shared the backstory of becoming a part of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 

Although the two-time Academy Award nominee became an overnight star with the debut of the NBC sitcom, he revealed that the opportunity didn't come his way until he found himself in trouble with the USA's Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In his YouTube 'Storytime' video, Will said, "I and Jeff had come out with a smash hit. We made a bunch of money, we won a Grammy, the album was triple platinum. I had motorcycles and cars. I called the Gucci store in Atlanta, and I was like, 'Hey, will y’all close it down if I bring my friends?' And I’m smiling but that’s stupid. We released our next album and it was, like, a flop."

The Bad Boys for Life actor continued, "It was a tragedy, it went, like, double plastic. I had spent all my money and I didn’t forget but I didn’t pay the IRS. In my mind, I wasn’t trying to avoid taxes, I was just like 'Ah, damn, they need their money. The IRS took all that stuff, so I was like, broke, broke, broke. Being famous and broke is a s*** combination because you’re still famous and people recognise you but they recognise you while you're sitting next to them on the bus". 

In major trouble, his then-girlfriend had suggested Will Smith just hang around near The Arsenio Hall Show studio in hopes of crossing paths with someone influential. Taking his girlfriend's suggestion into consideration led Will to Quincy Jones’ home and the latter asked him to audition on the spot. Spilling the beans on his impromptu audition, he said: "I was like f*** it then. I said yes and I let it rip and I got to the end and everyone’s clapping."

His performance managed to impress the ones around enough for Jones to quickly demand his lawyers to draw up a contract for Will Smith to play the lead role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will concluded by saying that one should always say yes when the opportunity comes their way and should also "listen to your girlfriends".

Check out Will Smith's video below: